Review: The Early Years (Dark Lord #1)

 

290 pgs

Genre: Middle-grade, Fantasy, Humor

Publisher: Walker Childrens

Website: http://www.bloomsbury.com/us/dark-lord-9780802728494/

Rating: 3 stars

 

Book Description: Greetings, Puny Humans:

 

In your hands, you are holding a tome of staggeringly evil genius . It is not for the faint of heart or for the whining masses. It is for those willing to serve as my devoted minions while I plan my greatest feat yet: surviving life as a human boy and returning to my rightful place as the ruler of the Dark Lands. Before I can exact revenge, I must infiltrate this world and learn its ways.

 

How, you might ask, is it possible that I, the Dark Lord, the Master of the Legions of Dread and Sorcerer Supreme, could be reduced to human form? And how is it possible that the Lord of darkness could be forced to attend school and befriend such pitiful life forms?

 

Only by reading my tale will you learn the truth behind the cataclysmic defeat that left me stranded on this accursed planet, Earth, But make no mistake, revenge will be mine... as soon as I finish my homework. Mwa, hah, ha!

 

Yours insincerely,

Dirk Lloyd

(aka the Dark Lord)

 

My Review: Expect a Dark Lord to be relegated to our world as a thirteen year old boy with his memory intact, but devoid of his magical powers. Well, most of them. What one gets is some mischief, humor at Dirk's misunderstanding of idioms and how he sort of adapts. Also, there are the adventures he has with Sooz and Chris as he attempts to get back to the Dark Lands.

 

I have to admit that my adult-ness is showing I was thinking too much because I did have a bit of trouble. I kept questioning the idea of a potentially real Dark Lord and a couple of questionable things Lloyd and friends do. However, once I shook those thoughts away and took the story for what it was: a middle-grade, fantasy comedy, I liked it.

 

I enjoyed this first book and want to read the next one, especially after the way The Early Years ends.

Review: Many Moons by James Thurber, Illustrated by Marc Simont

 

48 pages
Genre: Picture Book, Humor
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Website: http://www.hmhco.com/shop/books/Many-Moons/9780152018955
Rating: 4 stars

Goodreads Description: A reillustrated version of Thurber's tale about Princess Lenore's request for the moon, with an introduction by Rosemary Thuber.

My Review: Many Moons was funny and charming. The art and story contribute equally to make an appealing book. The King with the invisibility cloak is funny. How does he think it's supposed to work? I really liked it.

Review: Rasetsu vol. 2

 

Pages: 192
Genre: Manga, YA, Humor, Supernatural
Publisher: Viz Media LLC
Website: http://www.viz.com/manga/print/rasetsu-volume-2/8150
Rating: 4 stars

Goodreads description: Not knowing it's the solution to her curse, Yako thinks that Rasetsu's quest for a boyfriend seems frivolous. Nothing's trivial about Rasetsu's next exorcism, however, especially when she's suddenly overpowered by the emotions of the spirit!

My Review: I think one of the elements I will continue to like in later volumes of this series are the humorous situations. The first volume had it and now this one too. I'm referring to the chapter in which Kuryu uses his kotodama experimentally. Also got to see some much coveted backstory. It makes me wonder about Kuryu. I really liked this volume.

Review: Rasetsu vol. 1

Pages: 192
Genre: Manga, Young Adult, Supernatural
Publisher: Viz Media LLC
Website: http://www.viz.com/manga/print/rasetsu-volume-1/8149
Rating: 3 stars

Goodreads Description: Rasetsu Hyga works for an exorcist agency where she uses her special powers to banish evil spirits. There's a story behind the red flower mark on her chest though--it's a memento left by a powerful spirit who vowed to claim her on her 20th birthday. Unless Rasetsu can find true love by then, she is fated to become his.

Yako Hoshino, a young man with spiritual powers of his own, comes to the agency seeking help with a possessed book. He's seen a lot of strange phenomena in his day, but the last thing he expects to see is Rasetsu bearing a striking resemblance to his old love Yurara!

My Review: I took my sweet time getting to set aside time to read this one. Would have been my loss if I had not. Rasetsu is an interesting character. She can be serious about her work and also silly, funny with her co-workers. It balances out. I liked her, but her sweet tooth. My teeth hurt just at the thought of it. Yako was my favorite in Yurara, so I'm glad to see him in this series. Rasetsu's colleague Kuryu and her boss are interesting characters too. Aoi, another colleague, didn't quite impress me as much yet. Yako's facial reactions to all of them is funny. Volume one introduced them and Rasetsu's history a little. I have to know more about them, see how the story continues. Chapter three was my favorite. That's as much as I will say.